Sea Shanty
by Pirate Chapel
Summary: "There is a star-sea of reasons they would have never worked and only a handful of reasons they should have." A series of Misty-centric oneshots. Multiple ships sail these seas.
1. Captain Hook, Pt 1

Pairing: Misty/Drake, Violet/Drake, minor Misty/Ash

Rating: T

* * *

Captain Hook, Pt.1

By Pirate Chapel

The sound of old and worn shoes drags on the arid pavement of Cerulean City. All her energy is spent on being half sad and half tired, and for the life of her, Misty cannot bring herself to pick up her feet as she trails into her hometown.

The town looks the same as ever. The buildings are still low and packed closely together. The park next to the Pokecenter is still green and dewy, with maybe the addition of a few trimmed hedges and flowerbeds. The gym itself stands proud and colorful among the otherwise whitewashed city. The whole place still smells like chlorine and sunblock.

The sight is pleasant and familiar, but in spite of herself, she can't enjoy it. It's a strange sensation, feeling like a tourist (made doubly so by the fact that it's in her own town.) She's never felt the sensation before, even when traveling to far and distant lands with Ash, Brock, and sometimes Tracey.

But maybe it's true what they say. Home is where the heart is.

Pulling her long-forgotten key ring out of her backpack, she unlocks the entrance door to the gym before calling out for her sisters. Her call rings clearly throughout the otherwise quiet gym.

No answer.

Looking into the foyer, she finds scattered League papers and half-empty coffee mugs that have turned cold. Walking further into the building, she finds toiletries, day old receipts for traveling tickets and scattered scarves and rejected bikini pieces littering the floor and furniture. She picks up the trail as she goes along, mentally cataloging what she can throw away and cursing her sisters for being such irresponsible slobs.

In the kitchen, she finds a note stuck to the fridge. She reads it as she pulls out bottle of water and a pudding cup.

_Misty- _

_Sorry we couldn't catch you! Next time, try to get here faster! Anyway, none of us had time to feed the Pokemon before we left, so you'll probably need to do that ASAP! We'll give you a ring later. _

_Luv u!_

_xoxo_

_Daisy, Lily, and Violet_

Misty sighs and puts her unopened pudding back in the fridge . Trust her sisters to do something as irresponsible as not feeding the Pokemon. Gosh, what were they thinking? What was she thinking, putting them in charge of the gym? In retrospect, it's not been her wisest decision. Older they may be, but smarter, they are not.

Pushing her growing hunger pains to the back of her mind, Misty strips off her tank top and slips off her tennis shoes and socks, leaving her in only a red bikini top and her favored shorts. She makes her way to the gym, where she finds all the gym's pokemon lazily floating in the pool, lethargic and obviously hungry. They perk up when they see her and she feeds them with only half-forced enthusiasm.

Looking around, she sees that her sisters have obviously not been keeping up with the pool's daily maintenance either. The bleachers are littered with used food containers and spilled popcorn. There are all sorts of nasty water buggies floating dead in the water and the floors need to be swept and mopped.

Nasty.

Resigning herself to a night of hard work, she recalls all the Pokemon into their pokeballs before picking up the pool skimmer and getting to work.

Not for the first time today, she wishes she'd never come home.

* * *

Her sisters return from their cruise eight weeks later, looking tanned and sounding exceptionally obnoxious. They barge through the front doors like a swarm of queen Beedrills, luggage and shopping bags in tow, which are promptly scattered everywhere. In a matter of minutes, the gym Misty worked so hard to tidy is once again transformed into a nest of girly clutter and trash.

Daisy and Lily toss off their sunhats before heading further in, chattering loudly about the awesome service and the awesome sunsets and how hot were those guys from the cruise line? Violet doesn't follow, which is odd. Instead, she flings herself onto the couch in the foyer and resumes her mad texting on a black flip phone. In the background, Misty hovers awkwardly, not sure how to make her presence known in the face of such blatant self-absorption. It isn't until Daisy turns around and spots her that she is acknowledged.

"Little sis! Hey!" Daisy exclaims, grinning happily, "How are things?" Misty frowns, peeved by her casual attitude.

"Fine. No thanks to you three!" she responds. She has half a mind to stick her tongue out at them.

"Ugh, don't be so sour, Misty" Lily chastises, "Today is a good day! The Sensational Sisters are all together again!"

"Seriously, sis. Let's just all be chill right now. We have a lot to catch up on," Daisy continues, undaunted by the youngest Waterflower sister's poor welcoming, "Now can I get a hug?"

She moves forward and wraps her arms around Misty, who struggles for a moment before begrudgingly accepting the hug. She's still pissed at them but she can't deny that it feels good to have her sisters back.

Daisy and Lily lead Misty into the kitchen, resuming their mile-a-minute chatter about the details of their cruise. In the living room, Violet giggles and blushes at her phone.

* * *

"So, what's up with Violet?"

The Waterflower family has been reunited for a grand total of four days and is just settling back into their old routine. Her sisters are still jerks and slobs who like to tease her and leave banana peels on the counters and Misty is still quick to anger and fun to laugh at. Things are almost back to normal. Except for...

"Hmm?" Daisy hums absentmindedly, thumbing through a makeup brochure.

"Violet. She's been acting weird. Weirder than normal."

The blue-haired beauty has declined to participate in family activities (i.e. making fun of Misty) and spends most of her time holed up in her room with the door locked and her phone in her hand. She's been neglecting most of her duties around the gym in favor of hogging the computer and wracking up a crazy high phone bill. When she does bother to come downstairs and rejoin her sisters, she is distracted and slightly meaner than usual.

"Oh. That. Isn't it obvious? She met a guy!" Daisy giggles. Laying down on the couch is Lily, who promptly puts down her own magazine to listen in on the conversation.

"What! That's no reason to ignore the rest of us and go off on her own!" Misty exclaims.

"Isn't it? You did it," Lily counters. Misty feels heat bloom on her cheeks and on her neck. That's not the same thing!

"That's different! Ash is... he's Ash, okay! He wasn't my boyfriend or anything! He was just a dumb kid that wrecked my bike!" The blush high on her cheeks betrays her true sentiments on the matter, but fortunately neither of her two sisters comments, sharing a knowing glance instead. "Anyway, who is this mystery boyfriend? Anyone I know?"

Before either Daisy or Lily can respond, a high-pitched squeal punctures the air, swiftly followed by the sound of pounding feet running down the stairs. Before them stands Violet, chest heaving and eyes bright.

"O.M.G. You guys!" she exclaims, "He's coming to visit me! Eee!"

The two other eldest Waterflowers join in her revelry, jumping and screaming and making plans for hair and makeup. Misty stands off to the side, feeling a little lost and out of the loop. Just who is this person? From the way her sisters are acting, one would think Violet is dating the Pokemon Master (which, for all Misty knows, she is.) Then again, they are all boy-crazy and very excitable.

While Misty mulls over the possible identity of Violet's secret boyfriend, her sisters have already gathered their purses and sunglasses and are halfway out the door, en route to the nearest shopping mall.

"Hey! Wait!" she cries out, "where are you guys going? You can't just leave me here!"

"Sure we can. We do it all the time. Besides, I need to buy new clothes." Violet explains, completely unsympathetic. "While we're gone, do you think you could get started on cleaning this place up? It's, like, really filthy in here, Misty. I would really hate for him to show up and see what a bad job you've done of cleaning up your gym. God, could you imagine? I would just die of embarrassment."

Misty gapes, at a loss for what to say. How can Violet be such a jerk?! It's their fault the gym is dirty! Again!

"Anyway. Toodles!" before the youngest Waterflower can formulate a response, her sisters are gone and she is alone in the gym once more, left to clean up their mess.

She wants to scream. She wants to hit something. She wants to let out all the frustration and anger she's been feeling for the past two months. She doesn't do any of those things, though, characteristic as they may be.

Instead, she bursts into irate tears and runs to the gym pool where she jumps in, fully clothed. She swims furiously, hoping the water around her will absorb her growing rage, like a bomb tossed in a lake.

_It's not fair_, she thinks.

When traveling with Ash, she often felt unappreciated. He never really noticed how much she did or how hard she tried to be there for him, but he had never, _never _made her feel unwanted or unimportant. The feeling is especially bitter coming from her own sisters. She can almost hate them for it.

The redheaded gym leader swims until her arms and legs give out, at which point she lets herself float on. If she were any sort of dramatist, she would force the air from her lungs and cling to the cement bottom until desperation wins and she crawls back up for the relief of oxygen. But Misty is both too young and too pragmatic to entertain such thoughts. She swims a few more laps before heaving herself out of the pool, letting her clothes drench the floor. Horsea and Dewgong, who have both been in the vicinity, watch her leave with sad eyes.

Her sisters return from their shopping trip and head straight to Violet's room, once again ignoring her but Misty doesn't care. She's too tired to incite another argument. After her angry workout, she has decided to be the bigger person, avoid conflict, and do exactly as her sister has requested, if only to prove her wrong.

For an entire week, she polishes the gym as best she can, exhausting her energy and her resources. Meanwhile, Daisy, Lily, and Violet busy themselves with planning out meals and outfits for their mystery guest. Thankfully, they too keep presentation in mind and minimize their mess load, which Misty refuses to touch anyway out of indignation and minor (read: major) spite.

Come Sunday evening, the Cerulean Gym/Waterflower residence looks better than it ever has in the span of the last ten years.

It is Tuesday morning when a clamor of delighted, feminine noise from the lobby makes it's way to Misty, announcing their guest's arrival. She is in the middle of making herself a ham and cheese sandwich in the kitchen. For a moment, she debates going out to meet him. They've been making themselves busy all week for him, and she_ is_ curious about her sister's new boyfriend. On the other hand... she is awfully hungry. Deciding it will be rude not to, Misty puts down the butter knife that she is using to spread mustard on a piece of bread and goes to greet their visitor.

The first thing she sees is a flash of messy, jet black hair. The surprise of it literally stops her in her tracks so fast she tears a hole in the carpet. She has to stop herself from crying out.

_Ash!_

She puts her hand to her chest, at a loss of what to say. Her heart feels like it hurts.

God, is it really him?

Before she has a chance to cry out his name, the black haired figure straightens, dispersing the animated girl-pile crowding around him.

Tall. Muscled biceps and long legs. Cobalt eyes and a red vest. All wrong.

Not Ash.

Disappointment crashes into her, holding her comatose. Her heart still feels like it hurts, but for entirely different reasons. The joy that began to amass in the well of her chest comes to a standstill.

Not Ash. Not Ash. Not Ash.

…But still someone she knows. At least, by association.

In the middle of her living room stands Drake, the head leader of the Orange Island gyms and world-renowned Pokemon champion. He looks tired and a little scruffy in his wrinkled clothes, but otherwise content. Beside him, Violet stands clutching his left arm and looking starstruck. By the looks of it, she really likes him. And he likes her too, if the tender gaze he's directing at her is any indication.

Instantly, Misty feels bad for giving her sister so much crap and for hoping he was somebody else. Even if Violet was a real jerk, Misty knows what it is like... To like someone so much that everything that isn't them is flat and spoiled. To like someone so much that you'd follow them halfway around the world... and hope they'd do the same for you. To be totally hooked on one person.

Swallowing her lingering guilt, she steps forward to introduce herself. She clears her throat to get their attention and they all look up at her.

"Hi, Drake. I'm Misty. I've heard a lot of great things about you!" she says, holding out her hand. He grabs it and smiles at her warmly.

Up close, she wonders how she could have mistaken him for Ash, if only for a moment. Besides the hair, there are no similarities.

His eyes are blue, not unlike the type of coloring only found in crayon boxes and deep ocean waters. He is big, too, and his jaw is strong. He is very handsome; it's easy to see why he is so popular in his home island and how someone like Violet can be attracted to him.

"Hi Misty. I've heard a lot about you as well," he chuckles and grins devilishly at her. And even though he's not Ash, she finds herself blushing anyway.


	2. Mooring

Pairing: Misty/Rudy, past Misty/Ash

Rating: T

Important A/N: Rudy cross-dressing is actually canon. It's my first time writing anything that has to do with gender-identity so I hope I don't offend anyone.

* * *

Mooring

By Pirate Chapel

In the span of twelve years, nothing has changed.

She is too jealous and he is too clueless.

It is funny (gut-aching, heart-splitting funny) and she laughs hysterically before imploding in on herself.

There is a star-sea of reasons they would have never worked and only a handful of reasons they should have (they love each other, that is enough, almost). Of course, though, they don't and five months after the fact, she is alone again and he is away and slightly bitter.

A failed relationship with one Ash Ketchum, and half a bottle of red cabernet later finds Misty Waterflower sitting in the middle of one of the many beautiful beaches on Kinnow Island, watching the sun go down with an apathetic eye.

Marina has been a good friend to her throughout the years and she has welcomed Misty to her home island with open arms, knowing very well the water-pokemon enthusiast needs vacation time from the tabloids and rest of the world, the pats on the back, the sympathetic comments. She understands that Misty needs to cry and make unwise accusations, scream words she doesn't really mean.

She listens to Misty rant at the unfairness of it all. She smoothes her hair back, kisses her forehead and together they fall asleep on a hammock nestled between two palms in her sandy yard. She is a good friend like that.

Right now, though, Misty needs to be alone, and Marina is good about that kind of thing, and so, Misty is left alone.

The red-headed gym leader gazes out at the dying light. How many times have she and Ash done the same thing? How many times have they sat together on a beach, or a log, or a hotel balcony and done the same thing over the years? Has he ever seen the same tomorrow she has?

Who knows.

Does it even matter anymore? Did it ever matter?

(Yes, yes it does, did.)

Does she even want to know the answer?

(Because the truth might blow her into bits of sand and shredded dignity)

She sighs and tosses the now-empty bottle away from her. It lands with a dull_ thunk_ a few feet behind her. God. Not even the fucking bottle will give her the satisfaction of breaking for her.

Misty pulls her knees up to her chest and buries her face in them. She doesn't want to look at the sunset anymore. It's too romantic.

She unwraps her arms from her knees and digs her hand into the sand, enjoying the coarseness of the damp particles embedding themselves beneath her fingernails and into the deep of her palm. She wonders at all the stones and boulders that had to die for the sensation. _Did it hurt?_ she wants to ask them. _Did you hurt like I hurt?_

If only the ocean tide would break and churn her own sadness away.

Behind her, delicate footsteps approach and come to a standstill, disturbing her peace The sound of clinking glass is heard as gentle hands pick up her discarded bottle where it landed.

Misty sighs again and closes her eyes.

"Marina, I know you mean well, but I'll be in in just a bit. I kind of just want to think for a moment." she calls out to the person behind her.

Her friend ignores her and the footsteps continue. Fabric rustles as the figure lifts their skirts and settles in next to her.

Misty grits her teeth and wills herself not to lose her temper with her good friend. She turns to face Marina, a sharp reprimand on her lips that promptly dies.

That isn't Marina.

The girl that sits next to her is... she is dressed in a plain white blouse and patterned maxi skirt. Her hair is a stunning shade of auburn-brown pulled back into a single french braid that settles itself over her left shoulder. Her lashes are thick with mascara and her lips are painted a delicate shade of rose pink.

She is beautiful, but that isn't what makes her stand out.

It is the wiry strength in her lightly muscled biceps and the angled lines in the column of her neck. Her sharp jaw and her strong brow.

The girl that sits next to her is not a girl.

"Hi, Misty." The voice that releases itself from those pink lips is clear and masculine.

Misty releases a breath she hadn't realized she's been holding. Her face twists in confusion. Who is this person and how do they know her? How does she know them? The stranger stretches out her (his? her?) legs and smoothes out her skirt before grinning at her. Her mouth is all teeth and joyful sincerity.

"Yeah, I didn't really expect you to recognize me. I wasn't even really sure I wanted to say hi. At least, not like this. It's been a while since Trovita, hasn't it? Mahri still talks about you sometimes."

Misty stares. Recollection takes a moment-neurons and synapses fire in her head and bring forth memories of a once jealous Ash, a dance and a heartfelt request to stay. A handsome gym leader with many talents and a loving little sister.

No. No freaking way.

"..._Rudy_?" she gasps out, struggling to reconcile the Rudy from her past and the Rudy that sits before her now. The hair's the same color but everything else isn't. Her head feels hot and she's sure her mandible has dropped somewhere in the sand. Rudy grins and tosses her hair back, happy to be remembered.

"Yup! Glad to see you haven't forgotten me. I would have guessed otherwise, seeing as I never heard from you again," she exclaims brightly, still grinning that mega-sun smile.

"Gosh, I'm sorry. But, you know... life," Misty responds, completely baffled. What the heck? What the heck happened? The last she'd heard of Rudy, he had still been a competitor in the orange league and giving out Spike Shell badges to deserving trainers. And now... Now, her head is starting to hurt.

"I do know," Rudy nods sagely, setting down the empty bottle between them."So how have you been? Are you on vacation?"

"No?" the water-Pokemon trainer draws out slowly, only half paying attention. She's so confused. "I mean yes," she amends when she catches Rudy looking at her funny. "I... came for some R&amp;R and to visit Marina..." she trails off in a half-assed explanation. Is that glitter eyeliner?

Rudy grins. "So did I, but I didn't think she'd have company! This place is usually so empt-"

"Wow," Misty interrupts, holding her hands out, as if to give space between herself and the thought. "Wow," she says again. "I'm sorry, but can we just stop for a minute and talk about what's going on here? I don't mean to shit on your life choices or anything, but I need some context hardly qualifies as a regular encounter." Rudy laughs, waving off Misty's belated reaction, used to it by this point.

"Haha, sure! I know what it looks like and it's not what you're thinking," she replies.

"It looks like you're dressed like a woman. To the nines," Misty deadpans. If it's not what she's thinking, what else could it be?

...Is it a costume contest?

"Okay, it is what you're thinking," Rudy admits, "But it's not... it's not like that." She bites her lip and wonders at how to explain herself.

"It's funny, but it's actually kind of your fault." It is obviously a wrong choice of words because Misty gapes. What! _Her_ faul- "Sorry, that came out wrong. Okay. So, when you left... Mahri was really sad. She really wanted you to stay with us, you know. So did I. Anyway, she cried a lot."

A grimace materializes itself on Misty's face. She feels guilty. In all honesty, she hasn't much thought about Rudy and Mahri since leaving Trovita island all those years ago. It's not that she doesn't care, but between her own adventures and Ash... she's ashamed to admit everyone else took a back seat. She nods and Rudy continues.

"I realized that she was lonely. She needed female company, you know? There were things she couldn't share with me because I was her brother. I have to admit, I was so desperate to make her happy that I tried it out with a few other girls that visited the islands. I even hired and shipped out an escort to play off as a nanny. But none of them seemed to be good enough. For me or for her." She scoffs, remembering all the subpar trainers that visited the island and tried to earn badges by pretending to care for Mahri. She turns to sneak a peak at Misty and finds the water-pokemon trainer staring at her intently with those eyes. The same ones that kept her awake at night for so long. She feels red crawling up her neck and clears her throat to stave it off before continuing.

"So I... I don't know, I dressed up. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I bought a pushup bra, some extra socks to stuff it with, some lipstick, and _voila_! Instant sister. It was like one of those 'just add water' things, almost. It worked well enough. She was happy and so was I. Eventually, I just stopped dressing like a man altogether. It became like... a natural state of being. Of course, when Mahri got older she started thinking it was weird so I stopped doing it around her. Now that she's mostly away, I still do it from time to time, privately. I come here often. Marina doesn't judge me for it. She thinks I'm crazy, but for entirely different reasons," Rudy finishes, picking some lint on her skirt. She shoots her still-baffled companion a small smile.

Misty blinks. Her mind is rushing at Mach two in an attempt to process this new information. The last thing she expected when she decided to go out to the shore was to encounter an old beau from twelve years ago. Wearing a dress, no less. Their meeting now is not the strangest encounter she has ever had, but it has left her speechless nonetheless.

What else can she say now, except, "Oh."

"Yeah."

They are share an easy silence after that. The sun is completely gone by the time they speak again, only a trail of pink left in its wake. There is no romance in it anymore.

The clear night sky unclogs Misty's throat and she can speak again.

"You know," she pipes up, looking to fill in the quiet space between them. "Ash and I used to spend time like this. Mostly when we were kids but we always tried to make a little time for each other as time passed by. It was hard, with him being a champion and me trying to head the gym. It's funny to spend an evening like this with someone besides him."

There is no light anymore so she misses the pained expression the crosses Rudy's face. Her own mouth twists into a sardonic grin."I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't be talking about him. I can't imagine you liked him very much."

"No," Rudy admits. She doesn't like Ash. Not after such a sound defeat ten plus years ago, when he won the badge and the girl."But it's okay. You did. How are you, anyway?" she repeats her cautiously, hoping she hasn't overstepped her bounds. Her red-headed companion blinks, caught a little off guard by the question.

It's the first allusion Rudy has made to Misty's breakup and it's _painful_. How is she? She is broken rocks on a far away beach and heartbreak sunsets. She is anger and humiliation posted naked on all the papers for the whole world to see. She is not well.

"Ah," she says instead, "so you heard."

"Everyone has."

"I'm okay," she lies with a smile, "I have good company." She smiles poignantly, nudging her companion. Rudy nudges back.

"Ah, yes. A bottle of wine and a transsexual. Talk about a winning combination. " It is the truth and it is a little uncomfortable, but neither wants to point it out. They share a small laugh instead.

"Half a bottle," Misty corrects. The alcohol in question must be starting to kick in because she feels more relaxed now than she did before, in spite of the weighty conversation.

"Does it really weird you out?" Rudy interrupts suddenly, sounding a little nervous. Does what weird her out?

"What, the wine?"

"No, me, as I am now."

Misty thinks about it for a minute, biting her lip. She turns to look at her unexpected counterpart with a critical eye. She takes in the quality of the mascara, the perfectly manicured nails. Does it? she asks herself.

"Yes? " she replies, hating that it's an honest answer. Rudy looks crestfallen at her response. She sighs. "No, I mean no. I don't know, Rudy. It is weird, but each to his own, I suppose," she amends.

"Mmm," Rudy still looks unsure but doesn't say anything else on the topic. Misty straightens her own skirts, wishing she had the other half of the bottle. The conversation is getting too heavy. She can't even keep her own life together, how can she judge anybody else?

"Why do you care so much about what I think anyway? We haven't seen each other in over ten years, Rudy," she asks in an attempt to break silence.

And it's true. It has over twelve years since they last spoke. By now, they are nothing more than strangers with a shared memory.

"Well," Rudy gulps, "I still like girls and all that." She looks over at Misty to gauge her reaction. She swallows."I still... like you. "

Misty starts, once again thrown off. It is an alarming confession, to say the least. And in all honesty, slightly unwelcome. She and Ash have only broken up two weeks ago. The idea of forming any sort of romantic attachment to anyone leaves her feeling queasy. She turns away from Rudy, at a loss of what to say.

"Rudy... you don't even know me. And I certainly don't know you." _Especially not this version_.

Rudy pushes down a scoff. A part of her wants to protest the rejection. _If you had only stayed_! she wants to shout._ I would have done right by you-I would have learned all the things that made you smile and I would know all the things that make you happy._ But she doesn't say that. Instead, she gives her an honest explanation.

"I know you well enough to like you," she starts off. "I followed your career; you were always on TV and in the magazines, having all these crazy adventures and doing all these wonderful things. Always laughing and smiling... I may only know you from a camera lens but I know that what I saw was genuine. And I think you could like me too if you took the time to know me."

The night sky brings with it a bitter wind and it flies into the distance between them, filling it with a chilly whistle. It stirs the sand at their feet and brings it into their eyes. Now they have an excuse not to look at each other. After a while, Rudy clears her throat and dares to speak again, quietly.

"Anyway, you don't really have to say anything. I just wanted you to know."

Misty can only nod and stay quiet. There is nothing to say.

"Besides, do you remember what I said to you, before you left Trovita? That I would always wait, in case you changed your mind. I just wanted you to know that some of us make promises and keep them."

And with that, Rudy picks herself up from the ground, dusting off her skirts. She unpleats her hair and bends down to collect the green bottle. She twirls it in her hands and resists the urge to kiss the neck where Misty's lips have been. In this case, just an imprint won't do.

She swallows. The courage needs to be drawn up deep from her belly. "When you're done using Marina as a demi-rebound," she says, finding her courage and ignoring Misty's outraged glare, "you should give me a call. I really hope you do."

There is no goodbye, and this time, Rudy is the one that walks away. She can only hope Misty will follow.


End file.
